Jan. 9, 2005
Nashville, Tenn. – Vanderbilt claimed an 88-43 win over South Carolina Sunday at Memorial Gym.
With the win, the No. 16/12 Commodores improved to 12-2 overall and 1-0 in the Southeastern Conference, while Carolina dipped to 5-10 overall and 0-2 in the SEC.
At no point was the game in doubt, as the Commodores raced out to a 29-9 lead to start the game, fueled by three-pointer after three-pointer from Abi Ramsey and Caroline Williams. Both players knocked down three treys apiece in the first 11 minutes of the game alone to set the tone.
Williams and Dee Davis led five Vanderbilt players in double figures with 17 points apiece, with Carla Thomas and Ramsey adding 16 and 14, respectively. Ashley Early scored 15 for the Commodores. Lauren Simms was the only Gamecock in double figures with 13 points.
Vanderbilt cruised into the locker room at the intermission with a 43-13 lead. Carolina’s 13 first half points marked the second-lowest scoring half in school history, trailing only the nine points scored in the first half of a 78-35 loss to Georgia on Feb. 1, 1997. Carolina was 3-for-22 from the field in the first half (13.6 percent).
Vanderbilt entered Sunday’s contest as one of the country’s top teams from a statistical standpoint, leading the nation in scoring average at 84.9 points per game and ranking third nationally in scoring defense, limiting the opposition to 50.8 points per game.
Carolina, who had held its previous six opponents to 31.4 percent shooting from the field entering Sunday’s game, allowed the Commodores to convert on 28 of their 58 field goal attempts (48.3 percent)
The defeat was South Carolina’s 11th consecutive setback in games played away from the Colonial Center and was the team’s 10th consecutive loss at the hands of a ranked opponent at any venue. The last time the Gamecocks beat a team ranked in the top 25 was an 83-59 win over then-No. 13 Arkansas on Feb. 16, 2003.
The Gamecocks return to action when they host the College of Charleston at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Colonial Center. The game can be heard live on 1320 WISW-AM in Columbia, with Andy Demetra handling play-by-play and Robin Muller providing analysis. The broadcast can be accessed worldwide via the internet at www.uscsports.com.
